imported>Dl2000: ordinals not normally used in dates (WP:DATESNO)

2023-06-18T03:03:17Z

ordinals not normally used in dates (WP:DATESNO)

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox military award
|name= [[South Africa Medal (1877)]]
|image= [[File:South Africa Medal 1877 obv.jpg|150px]] [[File:South Africa Medal 1877 rev.png|150px]]
|caption= Obverse (left) and reverse (right) of the [[South Africa Medal (1877)]]
|presenter= [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
|type= [[Campaign medal]]
|eligibility= British forces.
|awarded_for= Campaign service.
|campaign= [[Anglo-Zulu War]] 1877–1879
|status=
|description= Silver disk, 36mm diameter.
|clasps= 1877<br>1877–78<br>1879<br>1877–8–9
|established= August 1880
|total_awarded=
|image2= South Africa Medal 1877 BAR.svg
|image2_size= 100px
|caption2= Ribbon bar of the award
}}
The '''Frontier Light Horse''', a mounted unit of 200 volunteers, was raised at [[King William's Town]], Eastern [[Cape Colony]] in 1877 by [[Lieutenant]] [[Frederick Carrington]].<ref name ="SAMHS">{{cite journal| url=http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol045sm.html| journal= South African Military History Society Journal| first=S| last=Monick| title= Profile of an Army: The Colonial and Imperial Forces of the Zulu War of 1879|volume= 4 | issue= 5| date=June 1979| id=SA | issn=0026-4016}}</ref>

It is often referred to as the Cape Frontier Light Horse and served under Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel [[Henry Burmester Pulleine]].

==Military service==
[[File:Battle of Hlobane05.jpg|thumb|The commanding officer, Captain Robert Johnston Barton, killed at the [[Battle of Hlobane]] on 28 March 1879]]
[[File:Fethard Holy Trinity Church Baptismal Font 2012 09 05.jpg|thumb|[[Baptismal font]] dedicated to the memory of Captain Barton in [[Fethard, County Tipperary]]]]
The unit served in the [[Xhosa Wars|9th Frontier War]] under Major [[Redvers Buller]]. In July 1878 the unit of 276 officers and men marched from King William's Town to [[Pietermaritzburg]] and then to [[Sekhukhuneland]] for service there.

They fought under Captain Robert Johnston Barton in [[Evelyn Wood (British Army officer)|Wood]]'s Column during the [[Anglo-Zulu War]]. They acted as rearguard at [[Battle of Hlobane|Hlobane]] on 28 March 1879 where 20% of the 156 members were lost. Captain Barton, the [[commanding officer]] was killed. They then served in the battle of Khambula on the next day and took part in the forward advance of their column into Zululand; present in the battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879. At the end of that year the unit was disbanded.<ref name ="SESA">{{cite encyclopedia|title = Frontier Light Horse|encyclopedia = Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa|volume = 5|pages = 53|publisher = Nasou Limited|year = 1971|isbn = 978-0-625-00324-2}}</ref>

==Victoria Cross==
Two members of the Frontier Light Horse, [[Captain (land and air)|Captain]] [[Henry Cecil Dudgeon D'arcy|Cecil D'Arcy]] and Sergeant [[Edmund O'Toole]] were awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for their acts of valour in endeavouring to save the lives of soldiers during the [[reconnaissance]] made before the [[Battle of Ulundi]] on 3 July 1879.<ref name ="SAMHS"/>

==Other units==
The name Frontier Light Horse was also applied to an [[Eastern Cape]] Province unit established in 1899 as the District Mounted Rifles. Designated Frontier Light Horse in 1900, it served in the Colonial Division during the [[Second Anglo-Boer War]].<ref name ="SESA"/>

==Medal Roll 1877-8-9==
Dutton in 2010 prepared a Zulu and Basuto Wars Medal Roll.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.medalcollector.co.uk/pdf/zulusample.pdf |title=FORGOTTEN HEROES Zulu & Basuto Wars Including Complete Medal Roll 1877-8-9|first=Roy|last=Dutton|publisher=InfoDial|date=2010 |accessdate=2013-07-11 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815115310/http://medalcollector.co.uk/pdf/zulusample.pdf |archivedate=15 August 2013 }}</ref>

==Noteworthy members==
*[[Corporal]] William Smith, born at [[Eydon]], [[Northamptonshire]], enlisted in the [[Suffolk Regiment|12th Regiment of Foot]] at [[Weedon, Buckinghamshire]] in 1848. He survived the wreck of [[HMS Birkenhead (1845)|HM Troopship ''Birkenhead'']] in 1852 and served in the Frontier Light Horse in the [[Anglo-Zulu War]] of 1879.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~palmiped/CorpSmith.htm |title=Survivors of the wreck of HM Troopship Birkenhead 50 years later |url-status=dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081026112948/http://www.btinternet.com/~palmiped/CorpSmith.htm |archivedate = 26 October 2008 }}</ref>
*Corporal George Ashby, born at [[Greenwich]], Kent. In Pulleine's Rangers in the Frontier Light Horse, Baker's Light Horse. In an interview with the ''[[South Australian Register]]'' newspaper of [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], dated 2 June 1917, Trooper George Ashby's experiences were reported in full:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59138187|title=A ROMANTIC CAREER.|date=2 June 1917|issue=22,017|location=South Australia|volume=LXXXII|page=6|via=National Library of Australia|newspaper=[[The Register (Adelaide)]]|accessdate=18 May 2017}}</ref>
<blockquote>Soon afterwards came the most exciting incident in Cpl. Ashby's career. The force he was attached to was ordered to capture Umbeline's stronghold, on the top of Zhlobane Mountain. They were 500 strong, and in charge of Col. Weatherly. The only chance of reaching the summit was by scaling a narrow pass. The [[Zulus]], armed with rifles and assegais, fought bard to prevent the British force reaching the top. but by making the attack at day break, the latter, in the face of tremendous obstacles, attained their object. A rapid breakfast was being partaken, when it was discovered that the mountain was surrounded by a vast horde of Zulus. An attempt was made to descend on the side opposite to the pass. Cpl Ashby and his little party endeavoured to fight their way down, and at last he and a man named Andrew Gemmell, now living in New Zealand, were the only ones left. With their faces to the foe, firing as they retired, they kept the Zulus at bay. Then an unfortunate thing happened, Cpl. Ashby's rifle burst, but, fortunately for him, Col. Buller, afterwards [[Sir Redvers Buller]], who was one of the, party, came galloping by, and offered to take him up behind him. Col. Buller was a heavy man, and his horse was a light one, and realizing this, Cpl. Ashby declined his generous offer. But the Colonel stayed with him, and, Cpl. Ashby having picked up a rifle and ammunition from a fallen comrade, the two men retired, firing whenever a foeman showed himself. They eventually reached the main camp, and for this service, as well as for saving the lives of two fellow-officers on the same occasion, Col. Buller received the [[Victoria Cross]]. Out of 500 men who made the attack on the Zhlobane Mountain, more than, 300 met their death. The next day the battle of Campbell's Hill was fought, and shortly afterwards the [[battle of Ulundi]] took place, when the British force, under [[Lord Chelmsford]], inflicted a terrible defeat on the enemy. This was Cpl. Ashby's last fight. Within 12 days [[Cetewayo]] was captured and the war was over. Cpl. Ashby subsequently came to Australia.</blockquote>

==Killed in Action==
'''BAKER'S HORSE'''
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
Troopers. Killed in Action at Inhlobane, 28 March 1879

*John Campbell
*M. Christianson
*J. Darwin
*R. David
*W. Dubar
*PG. Rossam
*W. Van Niekerk
*W. Walters
*C. Ward
{{div col end}}

'''FRONTIER LIGHT HORSE'''
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*250 Sergeant J. Tippett - killed in action at Kambula 29 March 1879

Troopers. Killed in Action at Inhlobane, 28 March 1879

*251 A.J. Burton
*288 P.W. Caffin
*367 W. Cherry
*228 A.W. Dobson
*83 G. Dodwell
*227 A.W. Dobson
*247 W. Gordon
*177 J. Grills
*112 T. Halliday
*24 J. Hasseldine
*200 H. Helwig
*332 E. Higgins
*113 G. Horn
*87 J. Kerween
*317 W.H. Livingstone
*295 C. Lyndon
*266 J. May
*312 C. Merk
*369 G. Pearce
*57 H. Plante
*296 M. Prendergast
*248 W.A. Rogan
*375 J.A. Roubenhamer - killed in action near Ulundi 3 July 1879
*16 H. Runciman
*311 A. Schermal
*279 G. Seymour
*214 L. Shearer
*236 W. Tirrill
*273 G. Williams
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1877]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Anglo-Zulu War]]
[[Category:Military history of South Africa]]
[[Category:Regiments of South Africa]]
[[Category:Qonce]]
[[Category:1877 establishments in the Cape Colony]]

Frontier Light Horse - Revision history

imported>Dl2000: ordinals not normally used in dates (WP:DATESNO)